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BigFuture Scholarships Official Rules Class of 2026

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Void where prohibited by law. This Program is subject to all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances.

College Board BigFuture Scholarships (“Scholarship Program”) begins on December 4, 2023 at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (“EST”) and ends on February 28, 2026, at 11:59:59 p.m. EST for the Class of 2026. College Board (“Sponsor”)’s computer is the official timekeeping device for this Scholarship Program.

By participating, each participant (and, if a minor, their parent or legal guardian) agrees to abide by these Official Rules and decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to the Scholarship Program.

1. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW.

The Scholarship Program is open to students who have a high school graduation date of 2026, as of December 4, 2023 and who meet all eligibility requirements stated below. The Scholarship Program encourages such eligible students to complete six (6) key career and college planning steps during their sophomore, junior and senior years of high school.

Scholarship funds will be in the form of a check made payable to a Title IV eligible institution (“Institution”) indicated by students selected to receive scholarship funds (“Winners”).

By completing each of the six career and college planning steps, Eligible students earn entries into scholarship drawings. Listed below are the six tasks:

  1. Task 1. Start Your Career List: Get started by saving three (3) or more careers on your career list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org). You must be logged in to BigFuture using your College Board account.
  2. Task 2. Start Your College List: Explore colleges that you are interested in and build and save a college list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) with at least three (3) schools. You must be logged in to BigFuture using your College Board account.
  3. Task 3. Start Your Scholarship List: Explore scholarships and save three (3) or more on your scholarship list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org). You must be logged in to BigFuture using your College Board account. 
  4. Task 4. Strengthen Your College List: Create or edit a college list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) so that it has a minimum of one (1) “Safety,” two (2) “Match,” and three (3) “Reach” colleges, each category as defined by the definition provided on BigFuture. You must be logged in to BigFuture using your College Board account and you must save your college list.
  5. Task 5. Complete the FAFSA: With your parent or legal guardian, fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (“FAFSA”) form, available at www.studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa, to apply for financial aid. If you are not a citizen or do not meet the residency requirements and are thus legally ineligible to complete the FAFSA, you can still earn an entry by completing your state’s financial aid form, if available. If your state does not offer a state financial aid form or if you are also legally ineligible to complete your state’s financial aid form, by so attesting, you may still earn an entry for this step. From your BigFuture dashboard, check the appropriate boxes to indicate that you’ve completed the FAFSA, your state’s financial aid form or if you are legally ineligible to complete those forms. If you earn your entry by submitting the FAFSA or your state’s financial aid form and you are selected for one of these scholarships, you will be required to provide documentation of your submission. If instead you earned your entry because you are legally ineligible to complete both the FAFSA and your state’s financial aid form or you are legally ineligible to complete the FAFSA and your state does not offer a state financial aid form and you are selected for one of these scholarships, you will not be required to take any further action.
  6. Task 6. Apply to Colleges: Apply to at least two (2) colleges and update your status to Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, or Denied for these schools on your college list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org). Or, from your BigFuture dashboard enter the names of the colleges that you’ve applied to (colleges must be listed on the BigFuture site). If you applied binding Early Decision to a college, you may still earn an entry for this step by indicating that you applied binding Early Decision. You will be required to provide proof of your college applications if you are selected for one of these scholarships.

2. Eligibility. 

The Scholarship Program is open to any student (“Eligible Student” or “Student”) who meets all of the following eligibility requirements:

  • (a) Attends a public, private, or home school, located in one of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other U.S. territories and possessions, or is a U.S. Citizen or resident and attends a U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (“DoDEA”) school outside of the United States and U.S. territories;
  • (b) As of December 4, 2023, has a high school graduation date in 2026.

Children or wards of (a) employees, officers and trustees of Sponsor and its affiliates, agents, and representatives; (b) Program’s advertising and promotion agencies, if any, and (c) the household members of (a) and (b), whether or not related, are not eligible to receive Scholarships as part of this Scholarship Program.

For students who attend DoDEA schools outside of the United States and U.S. territories, Sponsor may require additional proof of any participant’s citizenship or residency status to participate. The form of such additional proof will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

“Lower Income Students,” defined as students (a) eligible to receive an SAT fee waiver from the College Board, and/or (b) attending school in a high-poverty school district (defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a school district where 75% or more of students receive free or reduced price lunch), and/or (c) having a family Adjusted Gross Income of $60,000 or less, will have a chance to enter separate and additional drawings, as described below. For students for whom (c) applies, College Board may, at its sole discretion, request verification of their family Adjusted Gross Income using our secure document system if they are selected for one of the separate and additional scholarships.

3. HOW TO ENTER.

Step 1: Eligible Students who wish to enter should create or use an existing College Board account (“Student Account” or “Account”), at bigfuture.collegeboard.org (the “Website” or the “Site”).

Step 2: Eligible Students may complete one or more of the following activities (each a “Task”) to be entered into drawings. By completing a Task, students will automatically earn one (1) entry for $500 and $40,000 scholarship drawings:

  1. Task 1. Start a Career List: Save at least three (3) careers to a career list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) between December 4, 2023, and February 28, 2026. Eligibility for monthly drawings will close at 11:59:59 p.m. EST on the last day of each month from January 31, 2024 to February 28, 2026. Upon completion of the Task, Students will earn one (1) entry for monthly scholarship drawings for the applicable drawing period. Unselected entries in a drawing period will automatically roll over to the next drawing period until the final drawing on March 1, 2026. Student must be logged in to their College Board account for list to save and entry to be earned.
  2. Task 2. Start Your College List: Build a college list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) with at least three (3) Colleges (As defined on the BigFuture website) between December 4, 2023 and June 30, 2025. Eligibility for monthly drawings will close at 11:59:59 p.m. EST on the last day of each month from January 31, 2024 to June 30, 2026. Students will earn one (1) entry for monthly scholarship drawings for the applicable drawing period. Unselected entries in a drawing period will automatically roll over to the next drawing period until the final drawing on March 1, 2026. Student must be logged in to their College Board account for list to save and entry to be earned.
  3. Task 3. Start Your Scholarship List: Save three or more scholarships on a scholarship list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) between July 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. Eligibility for monthly drawings will close at 11:59:59 p.m. EST on the last day of each month from July 31, 2025 to February 28, 2026. Students will earn one (1) entry for monthly scholarship drawings for the applicable drawing period. Unselected entries in a drawing period will automatically roll over to the next drawing period until the final drawing on March 1, 2026. Student must be logged in to their College Board account for list to save and entry to be earned.
  4. Task 4. Strengthen Your College List: Create or edit a college list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) so that it has a minimum of one (1) “safety,” two (2) “match,” and three (3) “reach” colleges between July 1, 2025 and October 31, 2025. Eligibility for monthly drawings will close at 11:59:59 p.m. EST on the last day of each month from July 31, 2025 to October 31, 2025. Students will earn one (1) entry for monthly scholarship drawings for the applicable drawing period. Unselected entries in a drawing period will automatically roll over to the next drawing period until the final drawing on March 1, 2026. Student must be logged in to their College Board account for list to save and entry to be earned.
  5. Task 5. Complete the FAFSA: With the assistance of a parent or legal guardian, as necessary, students must complete and submit the FAFSA between October 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. From your BigFuture dashboard, check the appropriate boxes to indicate that you’ve completed the FAFSA, your state’s financial aid form or if you are legally ineligible to complete those forms. Eligibility for monthly drawings will close at 11:59:59 PM EST on the last day of each month from October 31, 2025 to February 28, 2026. If Student is not a citizen or does not meet the residency requirements and is thus legally ineligible to complete the FAFSA, Student can still earn an entry by completing their state’s financial aid form, if available. If Student’s state does not offer a state financial aid form or if the student is also legally ineligible to complete their state’s financial aid form, by so attesting, the student may still earn an entry for this step. Students will earn one (1) entry for monthly scholarship drawings for the applicable drawing period. Unselected entries in a drawing period will automatically roll over to the next drawing period until the final drawing on March 1, 2026. Student must be logged in to their College Board account for the entry to be earned.
  6. Task 6. Apply to Colleges: Apply to at least two (2) colleges between October 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. Update your status to Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, or Denied for these schools on your college list on BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org). Or, from your BigFuture dashboard enter the names of the colleges that you’ve applied to (colleges must be listed on BigFuture). Eligibility for monthly drawings will close at 11:59:59 PM EST on the last day of each month from October 31, 2025 to February 28, 2026. Students will earn one (1) entry for monthly scholarship drawings for the applicable drawing period. If Student applied to only one college through binding Early Decision, they may indicate that within the site and still earn an entry for this step. Unselected entries in a drawing period will automatically roll over to the next drawing period until the final drawing on March 1, 2026. Student must be logged in to their College Board account for the entry to be earned.

To enter without visiting the BigFuture website and completing one or more of the activities listed above, Eligible Students may call the (844) 298-3554 toll-free number to request an alternate entry form. The form will be mailed to the Eligible Student. P.O. Boxes are not permitted. A completed form should be mailed back to the College Board, Attn: BigFuture Scholarships, P.O. Box 255505, Miami, FL 33152.  Limit one (1) entry per stamped outer envelope.  Eligible students may mail-in up to 6 entries. Mail-in entries will be processed within 4 weeks and applied to the next applicable drawing. Entries received from any person in excess of these limitations shall be void. Automated or bulk entries or entries submitted by third parties may be disqualified. Entries must be submitted by the Eligible Student. Any attempt by any participant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple and/or different identities, forms, registrations, email addresses, logins, or any other methods will disqualify that participant’s entries, and that participant may be disqualified from the Program.

4. Prizes. 

$500 Scholarships: Ninety (90) winners per month from February 2024 to March 2026. Additional ninety (90) winners per month from February 2024 to March 2026 will be selected among entrants who are Lower Income Students. Students may win more than one $500 Scholarship.

$40,000 Scholarships. One (1) winner per every two (2) months from February 2024 to February 2026. Additional one (1) winner per every two (2) months from March 2024 to March 2026 will be selected among entrants who are Lower Income Students. Limit: One $40,000 Scholarship per student. Students may win a $500 scholarship and a $40,000 scholarship. The odds of winning the $40,000 Scholarships for $500 Scholarship winners shall be the same as for other student entrants.

5. Selection of Winners.

Within 15 business days of the end of the qualifying month, Sponsor will select the name of potential winners of prizes in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received. The odds of winning are based on the number of eligible entries received.

6. Notification of Winners. 

The potential winners will be notified by email within 30 business days of the applicable drawing.

7. Verification of Winners. 

ALL POTENTIAL WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR, WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. A PARTICIPANT IS NOT A WINNER OF ANY SCHOLARSHIP UNLESS AND UNTIL PARTICIPANT’S ELIGIBILITY HAS BEEN VERIFIED AND PARTICIPANT HAS BEEN NOTIFIED THAT VERIFICATION IS COMPLETE.

Potential winners must submit applicable Required Documentations as described below within 60 calendar days of the notification to claim their prize.

Required Documentation:

  • Affidavit of Eligibility, Waiver and Consent: Potential winners must digitally sign an affidavit of eligibility and any other applicable waivers to claim their prize. If any such student is a minor, they will also need to have their parent/legal guardian sign such affidavit of eligibility and applicable waivers to claim their prize. Potential winners (and, if minor, their parent/legal guardian) will also be asked to digitally sign a publicity release.
  • Entry Verification: In addition, except where legally prohibited each potential winner must, if applicable, verify their entry by submitting proof to the College Board for each entry as follows:
    • Start Your Career List Potential Winners: No verification necessary.
    • Start Your College List Potential Winners: No verification necessary.
    • Start Your Scholarship List Potential Winners: No verification necessary.
    • Strengthen Your College List Potential Winners: No verification necessary.
    • Complete the FAFSA Potential Winners: If the entry was earned by submitting the FAFSA or the state financial aid form, a photo or printout of the submission confirmation email.
    • Apply to Colleges Potential Winners: A photo or printout of the confirmation page of all the college applications the potential winner submitted.
  • Lower Income Verification: Additionally, potential winners who were selected for a scholarship through one of the separate and additional drawings available to Lower Income Students because they indicated that they met the family Adjusted Gross Income requirement may be asked to provide one of the following as proof of their financial status:
    • A letter from their school counselor; or
    • A photo or letter showing their free/reduced lunch status; or
    • A photo or other copy of a student aid report confirming income; or
    • A photo or other copy of a parent’s or legal guardian’s filed federal tax form.

If a potential winner a) cannot be contacted as provided herein after the first attempt to contact them, b) fails to sign and return any Required Documentation by the timeline as requested by the Sponsor, or c) is disqualified for any reason, which decision shall be based on the Sponsor’s sole discretion, the potential winner forfeits the prize. In such event, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, award the applicable prize to an alternate winner selected by a random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries.

8. DISBURSEMENT.

Scholarship funds will be sent in the form of one or more checks payable to a Title IV eligible institution (“Institution”) indicated by the student selected to receive scholarship funds (“Winner”). Winner must indicate the Institution to Sponsor at least 60 calendar days before the beginning of their first semester at the Institution as indicated by Institution. Sponsor will never disburse scholarship funds or monies directly to Winner; it will disburse scholarship funds only to Institutions. The check may be mailed either directly to the student or the institution. The scholarship funds shall be for undergraduate studies only.

In cases where, prior to full disbursement, a Winner (i) changes or transfers to a new Institution, (ii) defers enrollment, or (iii) ceases attending or leave the Institution for any reason, the Winner shall promptly notify Sponsor of such change in their enrollment at the Institution, which shall be no later than five (5) business days after such change has been notified to the applicable Institution. Upon receipt of notification, in case of (i), Sponsor shall disburse any remaining scholarship funds to the new Institution provided it is a Title IV eligible institution; and in case of (ii) and (iii), Winner shall have 12 months (or 36 months in the case the reason for such deferral or leave is to enroll in the military or religious service) to notify Sponsor of their enrollment at a new Title IV eligible Institution (together with a reasonable proof of such enrollment and, in the case of a military or religious-related deferral or leave, documentation of the applicable military or religious service) or the Winner will forfeit the remainder of the scholarship. For all winners who have completed required paperwork, funds will be distributed during the summer of 2026. If a Winner enrolls in a Title IV eligible Institution earlier than the fall of 2026, the scholarship funds will still be disbursed to the applicable Institution during the summer of 2026. Sponsor will review requests for earlier disbursement and evaluate those on a case-by-case basis. All $500 Scholarships must be disbursed no later than October 31, 2027, except in cases of deferral due to religious or military services in which case they must be disbursed no later than October 31, 2029. All $40,000 Scholarships funds must be disbursed not later than October 31, 2032. Sponsor may use a third party vendor, such as Scholarship America, for the disbursement and associated administrative support. This vendor may contact you and your parent/legal guardian on Sponsor’s behalf for these purposes, including by email, phone, text messages, and postal service mail, consistent with the consent for method(s) of communication by you and/or your parent/legal guardian.

9. PUBLICITY AND OTHER CONSENT.

Except where prohibited by law, participation in the Scholarship Program constitutes each entrant’s (and a minor entrant’s parents’ and legal guardians’) consent to Sponsor’s (and its designees’, successors’ and assigns’) use or distribution of entrant’s name, biography, likeness, voice, photographs, video, opinions, statements, hometown, state and country of residence, high school, school district and entry for promotional, advertising, research and other purposes (including in communicating with their school and school district regarding entry and potential or actual receipt of scholarship funds) in any manner or media (including, without limitation, online, on websites and in social media), worldwide, in perpetuity, and without further payment, consideration, notice, review or consent.

10. RELEASE OF LIABILITY.

By participating, each entrant (and, if a minor, their parent or legal guardian) agrees to release, discharge, and hold harmless Sponsor (and advertising and promotion agencies), and the respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents, and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any and all injuries, liability, losses, and damages of any kind to persons, including death, or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from student’s participation in the Scholarship Program or any Scholarship Program-related activity or the acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any awarded prize.

Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Scholarship Program, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. Should any portion of the Scholarship Program be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of entries, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to suspend, modify, or terminate the Scholarship Program and, if terminated, at its discretion, award the prizes from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT DELIBERATELY TO DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

11. DISPUTES.

Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Scholarship Program or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the District of New York or the appropriate State Court located in New York; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Scholarship Program, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Scholarship Program, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York.

12. PRIVACY.

Sponsor recognizes the importance of protecting student privacy. Our privacy policies located at collegeboard.org/privacy-center (“Privacy Policies”) are part of these Official Rules. Entrants consent to College Board’s collection, use, and disclosure of their personally identifiable information described in the Privacy Policies and in these Official Rules. 

Sponsor will disclose, as applicable, the following information about Winners to its third party vendor providing disbursement and associated administrative support services, solely for those purposes: first and last name, date of birth, mailing address, email address, phone number, state, district name, high school attending institution (AI) code, high school name, parent/legal guardian first and last name, parent/legal guardian email address, name of award, award amount, and College Board-generated ID. You may be asked by Sponsor or this vendor to provide information and documentation to this vendor, as may be necessary under these Official Rules. This vendor cannot license, sell, rent, or otherwise repurpose the information provided by Sponsor or you. 

13. REQUEST FOR WINNERS’ LIST/OFFICIAL RULES.

For the names of scholarship winners or a copy of the Official Rules, available September 1, 2026, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the request to the College Board, Attn: BigFuture Scholarships, 2200 NW 72nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33152-9418. Please include a note specifying the nature of the request, e.g., asking for a hard copy of the official rules or specifying the name of the scholarship and the particular drawing date and year. Such request must be received by the Sponsor no later than 90 days after September 1, 2026, at which time all Class of 2026 scholarship winners will have been verified and scholarship dollars are distributed.